Enchantments and Other Magic
by iJareth
Summary: A Disney/Hogwarts crossover. Mostly focusing on Beauty and the Beast, but with some cameos made by other Disney characters. Inspired by the Disney at Hogwarts art series by Eira1893 on deviantArt. /gallery/48823636) All Disney characters belong to Disney. The world of Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: _**A _HUGE_ thank you to HobbitLover4eva for suggesting and encouraging this story! It wouldn't have happened without you.

While this is, in essence, a Beauty and the Beast fan fic, other Disney characters will make appearances as well. Also, I used the Harry Potter wiki as my primary source of information: if there are any discrepancies, please let me know and I'll get to work fixing it!

All Disney characters belong to Disney. The world of Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

{September 1st}

Every year on September the first, King's Cross Station becomes flooded with odd looking families. They all push their trolleys filled with trunks and animal cages and they look around suspiciously, as if they were trying not to get caught. Particularly when they reach platforms 9 and 10.

That is where the magic begins.

As soon as the coast was clear, groups of 2 or 3 people rushed towards the marked pillar; only instead of crashing into it, they enter the magically hidden doorway and arrive at Platform 9 3/4. From here, the children of said families await for the train that will take them to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

A tall, handsome young man with dark blonde hair and dark blue eyes looked around him with disdain. Ever since he was 11 years old and had first received his acceptance letter, making the trip to King's Cross was always one of tiresome annoyance. It was always too loud and too crowded for the young wizard's taste.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he changed his focus to making sure that all of his trunks and his owl's cage was there. Naturally, his overly efficient house-elf Cogsworth had packed and labelled everything accordingly. He absentmindedly ran his fingers over the gold embellished initials "A.D.L.B", which he knew stood for Adam de la Bête.

Adam looked up to the sound of an incoming train. He sighed heavily, turning around to say goodbye to his guardian Forte only to see that he had Disapparated. He couldn't say that he was surprised. Adam gave his trolley to the attendant, reached for his owl Armen's cage and boarded the Hogwarts Express.

He walked through the train car, looking for an empty compartment when someone ran straight into him.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..." the person, a girl from the sounds of it, apologized.

Adam looked down into a pair of large brown eyes. Wavy brown hair framed the delicate heart-shaped face of the young girl.

They stared at each other for a long time before Adam glared and waved her off. He side stepped the girl - a 4th of 5th year, from what he could guess - and continued his search.

Finally, he found one. Adam stored the bag he was carrying above the seat, set his owl's cage down and then sat down next to the window.

The platform was starting to thin out, only stressed yet doting parents and their younger children remained. Soon, the final whistle blew and the train started to move.

Looking out the window, Adam allowed his thoughts to wander in the quiet compartment. He thought about quidditch, his classes, his family, but he mostly thought about the girl that ran into him. She was beautiful, with her soft features and slight figure. He remembered seeing her clutch a book tightly to her chest.

_Must be in Ravenclaw,_ he thought to himself. _Probably thinks that she's smarter than everyone, too._

Adam shook his head. He had no idea where that thought came from, or who this girl is, but he knows that she is a kind soul. He knew it when he was looking into her eyes, saw the sincerity when she apologized.

A loud crash and laughing voices interrupted Adam's musings. He turned back towards the sliding door to see four of his fellow house and quidditch team mates.

They filed into the compartment, their voices lowered when they saw who was sitting in the corner. Three of the boys shifted nervously, while the fourth seemed unperturbed by the change in atmosphere.

"Adam! Long time, no see!" Gaston Hunt, a tall, strapping, dark haired and blue eyed grunt of a seventeen year old, bellowed.

"Gaston," he greeted stiffly. "Hans, Naveen, Flynn." he acknowledged with a nod to the others. They returned the gesture.

Everyone put away whatever carry on luggage they had and sat down. They immediately restarted whatever conversation they were having earlier.

Adam continued to sit quietly by the window, ignoring the unwanted guests. Well, _one_ person was unwanted, if he was being honest with himself.

Naveen Maldonia, a fifth year and one of the team's chasers, nudged his elbow into Adam's arm.

"So, how was your summer, Adam?" he asked in his thick accent.

"Uneventful." Adam replied.

"Really? Well then, you should have come with me, Flynn and my family, we traveled to America -"

Adam stopped listening at that point. He's heard it all before: the wealthy son of a very noble pure blood family spending his summers abroad, playing some sort of musical instrument and making _many_ female friends. But his partner in crime, Flynn Rider, a fifth year chaser and orphan of truly unknown origins, steals from whomever he feels like and beguiles the woman with equal fervor as Naveen.

And Hans South-Isles, a sixth year who constantly complains about being the thirteenth son in his equally large pure blood family. Yet, he knows how to get people to trust him, to change his personality just enough to get what he wants.

Despite all of their annoying endeavors, those three he can tolerate. Gaston, however, was the _least_ tolerable of the group.

Gaston Hunt was always his nemesis for as long as either could remember, even when they were briefly "best friends" their first year at Hogwarts. Because their families always despised each other, however, they naturally followed suite.

But even if their families weren't involved, Adam knew he would have hated him on sight. Gaston was narcissistic, rude, and utterly inconsiderate. Adam was many of those things (though he never admitted to it), but to see it in another person was...distasteful.

A few minutes later, the compartment door slid open again. Adam had to stifle his groan, turning his back to see who else came in. Malinda Ficient and Jasmine Aziz walked in, carrying their luggage and their pets rested on their shoulders. The two girls greeted everyone and sat down close to Adam.

Jasmine, a fifth year Slytherin and the quidditch team's seeker, came from an Arabian pure blood family. Adam always felt that she was too kind hearted for Slytherin, but after joining the team as their best seeker in nearly 20 years, she proved to be utterly cunning. Her ruthlessness and cleverness helped them beat Gryffindor more times then they could count. Adam, being the team captain, considered having her become the new captain next year. Her miniature tiger Rajah glared and hissed at him, as usual. Adam glared right back.

Sitting across from him, Malinda sat gracefully, her crow Diaval hopped down and rested on her crossed legs. She stroked his head and stared at Adam thoughtfully.

Malinda Ficient was probably the closest thing to royalty that the wizarding world probably had, at least in Europe. Her family, though never actually having worked in any of the European ministries, always had a hand in the law making and other aspects. Malinda was intelligent, cunning, deceptive and one of the most talented witches Hogwarts ever had. Naturally, she became a Prefect and now Head Girl.

"Adam, dear, so lovely to see you," she greeted him, a serene smile appeared on her face. "How was your summer?" she asked politely.

"Uneventful." Adam repeated stiffly.

The way she stared at him, though, reminded him that Mal has always been able to see right through him.

"Such a pity." Malinda said.

He nodded in reply and went back to staring out the window at the quickly passing landscape.

Adam couldn't wait for this school year to be over.

* * *

Belle French rushed through the train car, trying to get back to her friends and the compartment they managed to secure. She had accidentally left her book with her father. Maurice French chuckled when he saw his daughter search for him frantically. Belle gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she went back to the train.

As she ran, she was so focused on the book in her hand that she didn't notice anyone until she ran head-on into the solid chest of someone very tall.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..." she started to apologize, before trailing off. As she talked, her eyes slowly rose to meet with the bright blue ones of her unintentional victim.

They stared at each other for a long time. She recognized him almost immediately: Adam de la Bête, the son of a very prestigious pure blood family, captain and keeper of the Slytherin quidditch team and possibly one of the most handsome, rudest people in the entire school.

It was just her luck to run into the popular seventh year.

Suddenly, his soft stare turned into a glare and made a show of walking around her. Belle gaped, her eyes boring into his retreating back. It was one thing to not accept her apology (not that she appreciated that, anyways), but to glare at her? _That_ was completely uncalled for.

Belle sighed, then continued on her way, this time paying more attention to where she was going.

It turned out to be a fruitless effort when she, yet again, ran into someone with an equally solid chest. Belle was just about to apologize when she looked up and instead she stifled a groan.

"Ah, Belle! So lovely to see you again!" Gaston greeted, a self-satisfied smile forming on his lips.

"Hello, Gaston," she mumbled.

Gaston threw his arm around her and started to guide her in the opposite direction.

"Why don't you come and sit with me and my friends?" he suggested.

"M-maybe some other time..." Belle tried to say.

Gaston simply ignored her and just kept talking about whatever it was he did over the summer. Try as she might, she just couldn't get away from him.

"Belle! I was just looking _everywhere _for you!" someone shouted behind them.

Belle looked over her shoulder and smiled in relief. Rapunzel Germaine ran towards the two and grabbed Belle's arm.

"So sorry, Gaston, but she already promised us her presence, so we must dash!" Rapunzel babbled, stealthily leading Belle away from the confused oaf of a Slytherin.

As soon as they were far and away from him, Belle threw her arms around her fellow Ravenclaw and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you so much, Rapunzel," Belle said.

"Oh, no thanks are needed," Rapunzel returned the hug. She released her hold and grabbed Belle's hand. "C'mon, everyone is waiting!"

Belle laughed and allowed herself to be dragged by the golden haired, green eyed fourth year.

She could hardly believe the quick change from shy, quiet, and timid little girl from a wealthy Muggle family to the confident, vocal young lady she had become. Belle had a feeling it was thanks to that Slytherin boy Flynn Rider, who unintentionally took her under his wing after she accidentally attacked him with a (mysteriously achieved) frying pan. That same day, he calmly explained to her that one of the Gryffindor sixth years Merida Dunbroch was _not_ a raging, evil fire spirit. Ever since then, they had been thick as thieves.

They reached the end of the car and entered a compartment. Rapunzel slammed open the sliding door, her hands on her hips and legs spread apart. The occupants jumped at the sound of their arrival.

"I found Belle!" she announced proudly.

"Oh, good! Did you get your book?" Jane Porter, a fifth year Ravenclaw like Belle, asked.

Belle nodded, holding up the worn leather cover that she found hidden in a dark, dusty corner of Flourish and Blotts. She and Rapunzel walked into the compartment and sat down closest to the door. Jane smiled and nudged their friend Milo Thatch's foot.

"Milo! Belle has the book she was telling us about," she said.

Milo looked up from his Ancient Runes translations. He stared at Jane for a moment before his eyes brightened in excitement.

"You found it? Can I look at it, please?" he asked, setting his book and journal down to examine Belle's book. Unfortunately, they landed right on his girlfriend Kida Nedakh's head. The Gryffindor seventh year groaned a protest and gently slapped the his chest. Milo mumbled an apology as he rapidly scanned the pages of the book. Kida rolled her eyes and went back to her nap.

Everyone chuckled as they watched the young fifth year scholar study the old text. He became rather infamous in the Ravenclaw common room as the most intensely studious of the house, affectionately calling Milo the "Man of Letters" because of his obvious affection for foreign languages. Not that anyone was really surprised, because his grandfather was a famous historian within the wizarding world. To anyone with eyes, it also explained his attraction and eventual relationship to the foreign exchange student, Kida, who also had an ear for different languages.

"Where's Elsa?" Belle wondered out loud.

"She said she was going to sit with Anna. I think she's trying to spend some more time with her sister before she has to run their family's business," Jane answered.

Belle nodded again, but Jane didn't notice. She had her head bent down as she concentrated on her current sketch. By the looks of it, it's yet another portrait of her boyfriend, Tarzan Burroughs (also a seventh year Gryffindor). The subject in question was in a crouching position and looking out the window at the rapidly passing scenery.

Tarzan and Jane first met the summer he received his acceptance letter. He was stranded in the jungles of Africa as a young boy when his parents were killed by some mysterious, dark creature known by the locals as "Sabor". Jane and her father, Professor Archimedes Q. Porter, who works as a consultant for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, were exploring the jungles for the Professor's latest theories on magical African creatures when they inadvertently ran into Tarzan. After spending some time with him and reintroducing him to society, his letter arrived. He had always shown a talent for magic, and going to Hogwarts was a wonderful opportunity, though it meant being apart from Jane until she received her letter.

After a few moments of silence, Belle was just about to start a conversation with Rapunzel when the compartment door slid open again. A messy head of blond hair peeked out, followed by a pair of blue eyes and nervous smile.

"Um, can I sit with you guys? Everywhere else is full..." the little boy asked.

"Of course! Please, come in," Belle said with a reassuring smile.

The boy's smile widened, and he quickly entered the compartment, plopping himself right next to the pretty brunette. Rapunzel giggled, ignoring the glare from Belle as she started to braid her hair.

"I don't think I've seen you around before, is this your first year?" she enquired.

He nodded in confirmation, wringing his fingers nervously.

"My name is Belle French. What's yours?" she pressed on. She reached out her hand for a handshake.

"Christopher Potts, but everyone calls me Chip," the eleven year old answered, shaking her hand.

"It's very nice to meet you, Chip," she said. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Madam Potts, the school nurse?"

Chip nodded again. "She's my mama."

Belle smiled, and continued asking questions of Chip. Although she tried to focus on the boy, her mind couldn't help but wander to Adam. Although she only knows him by reputation, she wanted to know more about him. Just looking into his eyes, she just _knew_ there was more to him than meets the eye.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N:_** Because I don't have J.K. Rowling's talent for coming up with Sorting Hat songs, I used the one from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (a.k.a the fifth H.P. book). The song belongs to her and her alone, I don't claim a single line.

Also, I know that Wednesday Addams is _NOT_ a Disney character, but, again, I couldn't come up with a character whose last name started with an "A".

* * *

"I wonder what we're going to learn this year? Is Professor Hercules still there? Oh, look at those trees! I've _never_ seen those before!" Anna Arendelle babbled.

Her sister Elsa and boyfriend Kristoff Iceman exchanged humored glances. Ever since Anna's first year at Hogwarts, she would ask the same questions and make some random observation about the passing landscape.

Anna eventually sat back in her seat. She looked around her and decided to observe her current surroundings.

Snow White, her adorable friend and fellow fourth year Hufflepuff, was sitting closer to the door with her boyfriend Florian Noble, a fifth year Hufflepuff and a chaser for the quidditch team. Anna always felt that Snow was always one of the more delicate, graceful people in the entire school, besides Elsa. She had a gentle beauty and endless kindness that attracted people, most especially Florian. She supposed it made sense, since her family comes from an old German pure blood family, same as Florian.

Across from them, Ella Cinder, also a fourth year Hufflepuff chatted with Tiana Smith, a fifth year Hufflepuff. Ella lived with her muggle stepmother and stepsisters when she got her letter and found out that her late mother was a witch. That was also when she found out she had an elderly godmother, her mother's aunt, who was supposed to gain custody of her after her father died, but her stepmother refused to acknowledge that part of her late second husband's past.

Tiana also came from a muggle family, an especially poor one. Her father, though hardworking and very loving, could barely make ends meet and later died in a war. Her mother was a seamstress and Tiana helped her, though her real dream was to open a restaurant, just as her father did before. Despite getting her letter, she has not given up on that dream, telling everyone that cooking and magic are not so different. Her hard work, passion and endless patience made her more like a mother to many Hufflepuffs.

She looked back at Elsa and Kristoff, who were quietly sitting and looking out the window.

"Elsa, why aren't you sitting with Belle and those guys?" Anna wondered out loud.

Elsa looked back at her sister and gave her a small smile.

"I'm probably not going to see you for most of the year, except during the school breaks, so I'm trying to spend as much time with you as I can," she answered.

Anna tilted her head and considered her sister. As she thought about it, the realization hit her with full force. Her eyes filled with tears and she leapt straight at Elsa, wrapping her arms tightly around her sister's neck. Elsa froze for a moment before returning the hug.

Kristoff, though appreciating the sweet moment between the two Arendelle sisters, coughed loudly to let them know that the moment was lasting a little _too_ long.

Anna and Elsa pulled away quickly, just as the train arrived at the Hogsmeade station.

Everyone in the compartment stood up and started to file out. Elsa gently laid a hand on Kristoff's shoulder. He looked down and raised an eyebrow. Elsa held up a finger, closed the door shut again and turned back to him.

"Kristoff, I want you to promise me that you'll take care of Anna," Elsa stated. "After our parents died last year, I won't be able to look out for her like I normally would. Especially since I'll be too busy with school and getting settled with our family's business. You're the only person I can trust with Anna. Can you do that for me?"

Kristoff stared at her for a while, before giving her a half smile and nodded.

"I promise, Elsa." he said confidently.

The seventh year Ravenclaw smiled and gave the sixth year a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you." she whispered. She then turned around and left the compartment. Kristoff followed behind.

* * *

With an angry sigh, Merida Dunbroch pushed back her wild red hair and stormed off to the Great Hall. The stupid Fat Lady wouldn't let her in because she wanted to show off her awful singing voice, which caused her to be late for the feast.

As soon as she reached the doors to the Great Hall, she stopped. Going in angry was _not_ going to help, no matter what she felt. Merida took a deep breath, then pushed open the doors.

Luckily, the sorting ceremony hadn't started yet, so she strode in with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

Quickly scanning the room, she spotted her friend Aladdin Ali waving at her. She walked quickly towards the Gryffindor table, painfully aware that Professor Jafar was watching her, just waiting for the chance to take away house points before the school year even started.

"You're just in time; Professor Odie is still giving the first years the Sorting run-down," Aladdin explained in a whisper.

"I can only imagine what the boys are doing to her. I hope she hasn't gotten _too_ angry at my brothers already," she admitted, also in a whisper.

Aladdin lifted an eyebrow. "Didn't you mention that Odie outsmarts _everybody_?"

Merida gave him a mischievous grin.

"I only told them that she's old and blind." she said.

They snickered until somebody bumped their elbow into Merida's side. She turned around, ready to call them out, until she saw Ariel Finn look pointedly at the head table. Merida immediately nudged Aladdin and they both fell silent. A tiny, dark skinned woman with round, black sunglasses, white robes, gold jewellery and an impatient expression aimed at the Gyrffindors, tapped her fingers on her cane. She cleared her throat and readjusted the white turban on her head.

"Now that we have y'all's attention, our Headmistress, Professor Powers, would like to say a few words before we begin the Sorting Ceremony," Professor Odie announced.

The woman sitting at the center of the teacher's table stood up. Her long blonde hair cascaded down the front of her emerald green robe. Despite her apparent youth, the Headmistress was actually older then a majority of the students' grandparents. Professor Powers smiled serenely at the students.

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to another year at Hogwarts," she greeted. "First years, I would like you all to know that the Forbidden Forest is just that: forbidden to _all_ students, except in the cases of detentions and Care of Magical Creatures classes. And for all returning students, our caretaker, Mr. Iago, would like me to remind you that the entire sixth floor will remain strictly off-limits, until he and Professor Flora finally clear out the flesh-eating moss, or until the students responsible for placing it there in the first place are found."

Her pale grey eyes scanned the room. Merida saw Naveen Maldonia and Flynn Rider give each other guilty glances. She couldn't help but smirk. She always knew it was those two Slytherins; they were always causing this sort of mischief.

"And now, I shall give the floor to the Sorting Hat. Professor Odie, if you please," Professor Powers sat down.

Professor Odie tapped the raggedy old pointed hat on the stool, then it suddenly burst into life. It quickly formed the shape of a face with the ancient folds, giving a semblance of a deep inhale before it started its song:

"_In times of old, when I was new,_  
_And Hogwarts barely started,_  
_The founders of our noble school_  
_Thought never to be parted. _

_United by a common goal,_  
_They had the selfsame yearning_  
_To make the world's best magic school_  
_And pass along their learning._

_"Together we will build and teach"_  
_The four good friends decided._  
_And never did they dream that they_  
_Might some day be divided._

_For were there such friends anywhere_  
_As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_  
_Unless it was the second pair_  
_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw,_

_So how could it have gone so wrong?_  
_How could such friendships fail?_  
_Why, I was there, so I can tell_  
_The whole sad, sorry tale._

_Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those_  
_Whose ancestry's purest."_  
_Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose_  
_Intelligence is surest."_

_Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those_  
_With brave deeds to their name."_  
_Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot_  
_And treat them just the same."_

_These differences caused little strife_  
_When first they came to light._  
_For each of the four founders had_  
_A house in which they might_

_Take only those they wanted, so,_  
_For instance, Slytherin_  
_Took only pure-blood wizards_  
_Of great cunning just like him._

_And only those of sharpest mind_  
_Were taught by Ravenclaw_  
_While the bravest and the boldest_  
_Went to daring Gryffindor._

_Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest_  
_and taught them all she knew,_  
_Thus, the houses and their founders_  
_Maintained friendships firm and true._

_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_  
_for several happy years,_  
_but then discord crept among us_  
_feeding on our faults and fears. _

_The Houses that, like pillars four_  
_had once held up our school_  
_now turned upon each other and_  
_divided, sought to rule._

_And for a while it seemed the school_  
_must meet an early end._  
_what with dueling and with fighting_  
_and the clash of friend on friend._

_And at last there came a morning_  
_when old Slytherin departed_  
_and though the fighting then died out_  
_he left us quite downhearted._

_And never since the founders four_  
_were whittled down to three_  
_have the Houses been united_  
_as they once were meant to be._

_And now the Sorting Hat is here_  
_and you all know the score:_  
_I sort you into Houses_  
_because that is what I'm for._

_But this year I'll go further,_  
_listen closely to my song:_  
_though condemned I am to split you_  
_still I worry that it's wrong,_

_Though I must fulfill my duty_  
_and must quarter every year_  
_still I wonder whether sorting_  
_may not bring the end I fear._

_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_  
_the warning history shows,_  
_for our Hogwarts is in danger_  
_from external, deadly foes_

_And we must unite inside her_  
_or we'll crumble from within_  
_I have told you, I have warned you..._  
_let the Sorting now begin."_

The students, though gave polite applause, murmured quietly amongst themselves, trying to figure out the Sorting Hat's unusually grim tune. Ever since Merida has been in school, the Hat only ever sang light, upbeat and occasionally sarcastic songs.

She looked at Aladdin, who merely shrugged, and at Ariel, who nibbled on her lower lip. She even dared to glance at the teachers' table. They all looked worried, especially Powers.

There were rumors that the Sorting Hat could predict the future, but no one really knew for sure. For all they know, the Hat was feeling rather melancholy this year. But something in Merida's gut told her that the Hat was giving them a warning. Of what, she wasn't sure.

"Now, as I said before, when I call your name, you'll sit on this stool," Odie gestured to the Hat. "I'll place the Sorting Hat on your head, then it will announce the house you have been placed in. Addams, Wednesday!"

For the next hour, names and houses were rattled off. She grimaced when her brothers were called, and had stifled a groan when all three of them were sorted into Gryffindor. Merida just knew that anytime those wee devils try to cause even a _smidgen_ of trouble, it was going to be on her head.

She could never get away with anything when it came to her family. Ever since she got her acceptance letter five years ago, it had been nothing but pressure. Her parents, Fergus and Elinor, a muggle blood and pure blood, respectively, were well known within the wizarding world as incredibly skilled magicians who came from poor beginnings. While she loved and admired her parents, she didn't want to be like her mother, who was a Ministry of Magic official, but instead a quidditch player like her retired father.

Although it pained her, she had to admit that her life was far easier than Aladdin's. His mother died when he was very young, his father was nowhere to be found, and was therefore left in an orphanage. Aladdin, unsatisfied with his life, ran away when he was 9. He was living on the streets with his pet monkey Abu when he received his letter. Merida first met him on the Hogwarts Express, and the two became fast friends. They even joined the quidditch team together: she became a chaser and Aladdin became the seeker.

Merida glanced around the table. Next to her was Ariel, her fellow sixth year and red-head. She was the youngest of seven daughters, but the first to join Gryffindor since her parents were in school. Both her late mother and (still living) father came from pure blood families; something her father, sisters and house-elf Sebastian _never_ let her forget. But Ariel was always interested in muggles, which, Merida always thought, explained her attraction to Eric Castle, a muggle born seventh year, who is also a chaser. He was always patient and answered her endless questions about muggles.

Across from Merida was Phillip Drake, a seventh year and chaser sat with two other seventh years (as well as the team's beaters), Lyle Rourke and Helga Sinclair. Merida liked Phillip well enough, he never said or done anything unkind and was always willing to stand up to people, especially when it came to Malinda Ficient. But Rourke and Sinclair...she never quite trusted the two of them.

After the last student was called and sorted, Professor Powers gave some words of encouragement, then ordered the feast to commence. She clapped her hands and food magically appeared on the table.

Everyone dug into the delicious food, and happy chatter filled the air. Merida and Aladdin shared some stories about summer break with Kida Nedakh and Tarzan Burroughs, who had some stories of their own.

Everything was going splendidly well, until a crash at the far end of the Gryffindor table interrupted. Merida looked over Ariel and Eric's heads and stifled yet another groan.

Three curly red heads stood out amongst a sea of broken dishes and tossed food. They had gleeful looks on their faces, not even the least bit guilty.

Merida chanced a glance at the teachers' table. Powers, though her face was emotionless, was clearly upset and Professor Hercules, the History of Magic teacher and head of Gryffindor looked disappointed.

Soon, her brothers, the Gryffindor table, and then evey other student started to laugh. Merida banged her head on the table. Aladdin gave a reassuring pat.

This was going to be a _very_ long year for Merida Dunbroch.


	3. Chapter 3

Adam woke up the next morning feeling groggy and irritable. He wasn't sure why, especially since he had a good night's sleep for once. It wasn't until he reached the Great Hall for breakfast and saw a familiar head of brown hair bent over a book at the Ravenclaw table that he figured out why he was so...unhappy. His dreams consisted of this nameless, beautiful girl. And the fact that he would probably never have a girl like her hit his subconscious before he was even aware. He clenched his fist and made his way to the Slytherin table.

His back was turned to her in an attempt to ignore the Ravenclaw girl. He piled his plate with food and ate in silence, barely acknowledging the other Slytherins that greeted him. Adam kept his focus on his food. He didn't realize how focused he was until he felt someone hit the back of his head with a rolled up _Daily Prophet_. Adam quietly groaned and turned to glare at Malinda.

"Adam, darling, we have class in less than ten minutes. You've already eaten everything on your plate, so there's no need to keep at it," she scolded. Diaval, who was perched on her shoulder, cawed in agreement.

He stood up and followed Mal, noticing that the Great Hall was nearly empty. The corridors and staircases, however, were filled with students going to and fro, most especially the lost first years, who apparently couldn't tell up from down.

The sea of students immediately parted at the sight of Malinda Ficient and Adam de la Bête. Mal acknowledged the students with a cold nod, while Adam simply looked straight ahead.

Mal and Adam finally reached Professor Lumiere's Charms class.

Of course, they were with Gryffindors.

Both Gryffindor and Slytherin students glared at each other, naturally.

"Now, now, if you are all quite done with attempting to burn each other through sheer will, the class will begin and we have much to work on!" Professor Lumiere announced.

Their French Charms teacher was tall, lean, and (to some) handsome. He always joked that teaching Charms was his destiny because others considered him to be just that: charming. He had a consistent, knowing smile on his face and was constantly beguiling others with his talents.

With absolute silence, the students sat down at their desks, though tension still filled the room.

Professor Lumiere shook his head and immediately outlined the year's course. Since the course was preparing them for their N.E.W.T.s, he warned them that he's going to be particularly rigorous for the next few months.

Adam almost scoffed, until he remembered his Charms exam first year and how he very nearly failed because of his apathy towards the teacher. Over the years he developed a grudging respect for Lumiere.

The teacher explained and demonstrated a few spells they'll be focusing on for the next few weeks, but Adam, though taking notes and paying attention, couldn't keep his entire focus on the lesson. Instead, they drifted to the mysterious Ravenclaw girl.

He recalled seeing a look of recognition in her eyes when she ran into him, letting him know that she knew who he was. It almost frustrated him that he didn't know her. He vaguely recalled Gaston talking about a girl fitting her description, claiming that "one day he's going to marry her". Though Adam personally doubted it, he knew Gaston Hunt was nothing if not blindly determined.

The bell chimed, signaling the end of the class. The students quickly stood up and made their way towards the door, the Gryffindors trying to avoid the Slytherins and vice-versa.

Once again, Adam wandered back into the fray before the students moved out of his way.

After six years of having it happen every time he walked to class, Adam found himself to be bored with it. And maybe, if he was being completely honest with himself, a little annoyed. It was fun at first, knowing that he held a certain amount of power over people, but that slowly dwindled over the years. Sure, he still enjoys having power and being in control, but not to this public extent.

Ignoring the fearing and loathing students, he quickly walked to his next class.

As he turned a corner, he immediately stopped in his tracks. Further down the corridor, he saw Gaston and the Ravenclaw girl. The giant idiot was slowly walking the girl into the wall as she tried to sidestep him without being rude.

"Gaston, please, I really need to get to my next class," she pleaded.

Adam couldn't believe how daft his fellow Slytherin was. Her body language was obvious a blind man could see it. But, of course, Gaston completely ignored her.

"Come on, Belle, I just say that you'll have lunch with me on the next Hogsmeade visit," Gaston said.

"Like I have said before, I have already made plans," the girl, Belle, sighed.

"Just give me an answer and I'll let you go," he pressed on.

"Gaston, please, I have potions, I really -"

Belle attempted to push him away only to get pushed against the wall. She gasped and Gaston repeated his request. Belle struggled against his hold. Adam could tell she wanted to use magic, but couldn't reach her wand.

Without realizing it, Adam stalked down the corridor towards the two people. When he reached them, he grabbed Gaston's shoulder and shoved him away from Belle. He reached for Belle's arm and led her away from he idiot as quickly as possible.

When they reached an empty staircase, Adam released her arm.

"Th-thank you," she said.

Adam looked down at her, suddenly being absorbed in those dark brown eyes. They stared at each other for a long while until he broke contact and stalked away from her.

* * *

Belle stood at the top of the staircase leading to the dungeons dumbfounded. One minute she found herself alone and - once again - trying to reject Gaston's advances, then the next minute, she's being pulled away by one of Hogwarts most enigmatic students. The way Adam de la Bête's hand made her arm tingle, and his blue eyes captured hers for a few brief moments, before he pulled away from her with apparent disgust.

Though her head was still spinning, Belle glanced down at her watch, realizing that she was going to be late. She practically flew down the stairs, and into the Potions classroom just as the bell tolled. She quickly took the only available seat next to Jasmine Aziz. The Slytherin girl smiled reassuringly at Belle, letting her know she welcomed her presence. Belle smiled back gratefully.

Professor Jafar narrowed his eyes at her before beginning the lesson. Belle let out a quiet sigh of relief and immediately focused on the Potions Master's words, lecturing about the many different varieties of venom and their antidotes.

Although she was taking in everything he said, every so often her mind would wander towards the events after her History of Magic lesson.

Belle was walking with Jane and Milo to their next class when Gaston had slung an arm around her shoulders and guided her to an empty corridor.

He spun her around until she faced him. Then he asked her the same "question" since she was a third year: "Come have lunch with me at the Three Broomsticks."

And as she did when she was a third year, she politely declined. But the thick-headed Slytherin never gave up. For two years Gaston would corner her whenever the opportunity rose; the Great Hall, in between classes, even in Hogsmeade.

The bell rang again, and the students stood and gathered their things. While Belle walked to the door and placed her books in her bag, Jasmine tapped her on the shoulder.

"Um, Belle, I was wondering..." Jasmine started to say. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Could you...do you think you could tutor me?"

Belle raised her eyebrows. If there was one thing she knew to be universally true, was that Slytherins are extremely proud and very rarely ask for help - _especially_ from someone in another House. But she also knew that Jasmine must be absolutely desperate.

"What do you need to be tutored in?" Belle asked cautiously.

Jasmine looked around, making sure the other students couldn't hear her. Her dark brown eyes looked straight into Belle's own eyes.

"Everything." she whispered.

Belle raised her eyebrows again. Jasmine gave her a pleading look. Belle eventually found herself agreeing and being hugged to death by the other girl. She had to gently push Jasmine away to get air back in her lungs. Jasmine gave her an apologetic look as they walked out of the dungeons together.

"Do you mind if I ask why you need to be tutored? From what I remember, you've always done well in all of our classes," Belle wondered.

"I'm fine in some classes, yes, but since we have to take O.W.L.s this year, I really need to pass _all _of them," Jasmine began to explain. "You see, my father said that he'll let me travel for a year and not find a fiancé right away to take over our family assets if I do extremely well. Belle, I _have_ to ace those O.W.L.s, otherwise I'll never be free."

Belle nodded in understanding. The two arranged to meet in the library before dinner to go over the lessons and the O. expectations. They parted ways and headed to their respective classes.

* * *

Milo looked up to see Belle sliding into the seat next to him in their Charms class. Noticing the troubled look on her face, he and Jane glanced at her in concern.

"Belle, what happened? Did Gaston bother you again?" Milo asked.

She nodded, removing her books from her bag. Jane gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"You'd think after two years' worth of rejection, he'd learn the word 'no' by now," Jane snorted.

"You would think," Belle agreed.

They laughed

"I also saw you talking to Jasmine Aziz, what's that about?" he wondered.

Belle was about to answer when their teacher called for order, clapping his hands to get their attention.

"_Silence, s'il vous plaît, mes étudiants_; silence, please, my students," Professor Lumiere requested. He immediately started the class.

Throughout the lesson, Milo glanced at Belle. She seemed to be deep in thought, her eyebrows crinkling every so often.

Clearly, Gaston Hunt's "advancements" did not go as it typically would.

Milo's insatiable curiosity and concern for Belle overwhelmed him, but the good student in him prevented any questions from being asked. Instead, he focused on Professor Lumiere and is rolling accent.

Listening to him talk made Milo think of Kida.

Although the rest of the world thought that the city of Atlantis was just a myth, the Wizarding World knew otherwise. The Atlantians were the first to create and utilize shielding spells. They "disappeared" because of some unknown prophecy, basically isolating themselves from history. It wasn't until 20 years ago Atlantis "reemerged" that they started to integrate themselves back into the world. Diplomacy was officially established when Kidagakash Nedakh, the daughter of the Atlantian Minister of Magic, was accepted into Hogwarts.

When Milo entered school, Kida's reputation preceded her. She knocked heads with everyone she met, especially on the quidditch field.

Milo had been studying the Atlantian language before his first year and was looking forward to conversing with her. At first, she scared him half to death. Kida had learned that he was building up the courage to talk to her, and she snuck up on him one October afternoon at the library. She immediately started to talk to him in her native tongue, causing him to stutter.

After a while, though, he gained confidence, and they kept up their conversation, changing languages with ease.

Since that day, they'd been inseparable.

A shake of his shoulder brought him out of his reverie. He quickly realized that class was over and he'd missed half of the lesson. Milo looked up to see Belle and Jane standing beside him.

"What is it about today that is making you two so...I don't know, but clearly something is your minds," Jane huffed, putting her hands on her hips. Belle and Milo glanced at each other and shrugged.

Jane rolled her eyes, gesturing her hands to the door. Milo stood up and followed the two girls.

"So, are you going to tell us why Jasmine Aziz was talking to you after Potions?" she prompted Belle.

"She asked me to tutor her," Belle answered quietly.

Milo and Jane stopped in their tracks with their mouths hanging open. Belle turned around, giving her two friends a quizzical look.

"What?" she asked.

"Why does she need a tutor?" said Milo.

"Because she wants to pass her O.W.L.s, that's all," she replied. "Before you ask, she is _not_ blackmailing me in anyway. Jasmine just wants a little extra help." she added.

Jane was about to protest when Milo held up a hand. When she turned a glare at him, he simply lifted one shoulder.

"There's nothing wrong with asking for help, no matter who it is," he stated.

Jane lifted her eyebrows, then softened her expression and nodded. He smiled and gave her shoulder a gentle pat, before walking on ahead.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Jane had run into Tarzan. Milo grinned again and caught up to Belle.

"Judging by the look on your face during both all of Potions and Charms, I'd say that helping out Jasmine is not the only thing on your mind. What happened with Gaston?"

Belle shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

She smiled sadly and walked faster, leaving Milo in the proverbial dust.

_What happened between her and Gaston? _he wondered to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:**_I must apologize in advance for Gaton's POV. He's very much a narcissistic misogynist and, looking back on it, very cringe worthy to read.

Also, I made a pretty obvious allusion to Adam's past; can anyone take a wild guess?

* * *

"Belle, what happened between you and Gaston?" Elsa asked at dinner.

Belle nearly dropped her spoon in the soup bowl. She kept her focus on her food, even though she was starting to lose her appetite. She wasn't sure why she felt this way; it wasn't as if Gaston bothering her was anything new, but Elsa's tone reminded her of how different her encounter with him today was.

Elsa waited patiently, her cool blue eyes carefully observing her. Belle gulped, more out of nervousness than a need to push down her food.

"Well, as per usual, he cornered me in the hallway after class. He asked me to spend time with him during the next Hogsmeade visit. Only, Gaston was a bit more...aggressive about it. He pushed me against a wall, and then -" she shook her head. "Honestly, it happened so fast, I'm still not sure if it even _did_ happen..."

"What else happened?" Elsa urged.

"You're not going to believe me. _I _don't even believe it!"

Elsa raised an eyebrow, and again waited patiently for her friend to continue.

Belle sighed. "After he pushed me, Adam de la Bête came, shoved Gaston aside and dragged me away."

Elsa's eyes widened in surprise and her mouth dropped.

"Adam de la Bête? As in the boy who's family is the most ancient and influential in the entire wizarding world? Who is also the most spoiled, selfish, and unkind person? _That_ Adam de la Bête?"

Belle nodded, and went back to eating her dinner. This certainly wasn't what she wanted to discuss at all.

Thankfully, the seventh year left her alone, at least for a little while as the information sunk in. Elsa was quiet and apparently deep in thought.

"I wonder what possessed the Prince of Darkness to come and rescue you?" she wondered suddenly.

"I thought Hans South-Isles was the Prince of Darkness?" Belle asked. She desperately wanted the subject to change.

Elsa shook her head. "No, it's _definitely _Adam," she corrected.

Belle couldn't help but laugh. As regal and mature as Elsa was, sometimes she acted like a small child. It reassured her, especially since her friend took on a lot of responsibility after her parents died. For a while, she kept her distance from her friends and her sister. It broke Belle's heart, as well as Anna's. Somehow, though, they reconciled and became as close as ever.

Elsa was about to say something when Rapunzel and Anna crashed into them. Rapunzel wrapped her arms around Belle's neck while Anna did the same to Elsa. Elsa and Belle exchanged confused looks.

"Um...what is going on?" Belle dared to ask.

"Rapunzel and I _may _or _may not_ have been playing around with a few new charms..." Anna started your say.

"...and I _may _or _may not _have accidentally hit Merida Dunbroch a.k.a Evil Raging Fire Spirit with a Quaffle..." Rapunzel admitted.

Elsa groaned and Belle gave Rapunzel a stern look. She and Anna grimaced. Then they heard the slurred, angry brogue belonging to a certain Gryffindor.

Merida stormed into the Great Hall, her eyes scanning the room for the two fourth years that hit the back of her head with a bloody Quaffle. She finally saw them at the Ravenclaw table hiding behind Anna Arendelle's sister and Belle French. Merida narrowed her eyes and stalked towards them, ready to yell and scold the two little brats.

As soon as she reached the table, Flynn Rider and Aladdin appeared, standing between Merida and the other girls. Flynn had quickly assessed the situation from the Slytherin table, and enlisted Aladdin's help to try and contain Merida's fury.

"What's the problem this time, Goldie?" he asked with a smirk.

"Um..." Rapunzel said.

"This bloody little blonde haired twit hit me in the head _again_, but this time, with a bloody Quaffle!" Merida exclaimed. She turned a glare at Rapunzel, her nostrils flaring and her red hair wilder than ever.

Flynn and Aladdin's eyes widened. She's angrier than they originally thought.

"Okay, okay, so _clearly_ history is slightly repeating itself -" Flynn started to say.

"Repeated? _REPEATED?! _" Merida yelled. "_SHE HIT ME WITH A FRYING PAN LAST TIME, AND NOW SHE HIT ME WITH A QUAFFLE FLYING AT FULL SPEED! THERE IS NO 'REPEAT' ABOUT IT, YOU -_"

"Ms. Dunbroch, I believe that's quite enough," a voice interrupted. Everyone turned to see Professor Hercules standing behind Merida. Anna and Rapunzel shrunk away guiltily, while Merida was still fuming.

Merida opened her mouth to say something, but the History of Magic professor held up his hand to silence her.

"First of all, five points from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Secondly, Misses Dunbroch, Germaine and Arendelle, if you would all please go to my office, we will get this matter straightened out. And if I hear a _single_ word out of the three of you _before _we get to my office, I will take off ten points from your respective houses. Now, if you will please follow me." Professor Hercules ordered.

Anna and Rapunzel slowly stood up and followed Hercules out of the Great Hall, taking special care to keep the professor between them and Merida.

Everyone in the Great Hall were shocked into silence.

_I know I wanted a subject change, but this isn't what I had in mind. _Belle thought to herself.

"I think I'm going to go back to the common room," Belle quietly announced.

Elsa gave an understanding nod. Belle smiled and stood up, walking out of the Great Hall.

Her mind started to replay all of the events of the day. First with Gaston's strangely aggressive behavior, then Adam's rescue, and Jasmine's desire to be tutored. Gaston and Jasmine made complete and perfect sense to her: Gaston was clearly becoming impatient with her, and Jasmine just wanted to guarantee her freedom when school ends for her. But Adam, the mysterious and reclusive boy with a face of an angel and a heart of a demon.

_'Face of an angel'? He's not _that _good-looking!_ she scolded herself. Even her thoughts weren't making sense. _It must be a full moon tonight_. she half joked.

Belle was so caught up in clearing and organizing her head that she nearly missed a shadow rush past her. She blinked a few times, before shaking her head and continued on.

Then, the shadow appeared again, this time in front of her and heading towards the grounds. Her insatiable curiosity drove her to follow it.

As soon as she reached the edge of the grounds, it disappeared. Looking up, Belle saw the bright light of the full moon. She gave a breathy laugh.

_Well, that explains it,_ she consented. _But I wonder what that shadow was? It didn't look like a ghost or that obnoxious poltergeist._

Shaking her head again, Belle returned to the castle and headed towards the Ravenclaw Tower. Clearly, she needed to get to bed before she started seeing a grindylock or something equally ridiculous.

* * *

"Adam, the Headmistress needs to see you," Professor Jafar said at breakfast.

Adam paused mid-bite, and gave his Potions teacher a confused look.

"What does she need to see me about?" he asked.

"That's between you and her. Now, make haste before you miss my class." the professor deadpanned, gesturing to the door.

Adam refrained from rolling his eyes, standing up and walked out of the Great Hall.

He followed the familiar path to the Headmaster's Tower, through the Gargoyle Corridor. Finally, he reached the third floor to the stone gargoyle statue. When he stopped in front of the statue, he realized Jafar never told him the password. He racked his brain for something random, as the Headmistress would wont to do, when the gargoyle suddenly came to life and stepped aside to reveal the staircase.

Adam hesitated for a moment before he climbed up to her office door. He lifted his fist to knock, but the door swung out and allowed him to enter. He lifted an eyebrow and slowly walked into the circular office.

"Oh, Adam, I think you have known me long enough to realize that I'm not going to bite you. You can walk a little bit faster than that!" a soft, low voice called out.

Adam sighed and entered fully into Professor Powers' office.

She sat behind a large desk, stroking the feathers of her phoenix. A serene, unsettling smile was on her lips as she waited for Adam to take a seat across from her.

The two sat in silence. They regarded each other, neither willing to speak first. The clicking and whirring of strange magical objects and the occasional shuffling of the pictures were the only sounds filling the room.

"Forte told me you ran away. Again," Powers stated. "Adam, we've discussed this. Running away from your problems doesn't solve them: it only makes them worse."

Adam grunted and crossed his arms. He avoided her gaze, focusing on the tattered old Sorting Hat sitting on a shelf to his right.

"Just because you're acting like a perpetual brat - which is rather unbefitting for a seventeen year old, by the way - does _not _mean that I'm not going to pester you," she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Adam...why did you run away?" she asked quietly.

He kept silent. At the moment, he didn't care if he was "acting like a perpetual brat"; he wasn't going to say a single, bloody thing to her. The last time he did that, Adam was treated like he was made of glass. He didn't particularly relish the feeling.

"You're going to have to tell me eventually, Mr. de la Bête," Powers warned.

Adam stood up angrily and started pacing around the room. He could feel her eyes following him.

"I couldn't stand being in that house anymore. I needed to get away," he finally admitted.

"For a whole summer?"

He shrugged and continued pacing.

"What about the potion? Did you take any of it with you?"

"No. I hate what it does to me,"

"I know it's not exactly the most delicious of concoctions, but it was created to help people with your...condition, and control it's symptoms,"

Adam snorted. "It doesn't change anything! It just...it just doesn't help me, in any way."

Powers smiled sadly. She stood up as well and walked over to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Your 'condition' shouldn't make you feel ashamed. Before you contradict me, I _know_ that's what you truly think. But Adam, you can't let those thoughts control your life."

He shrugged her off and went back to pacing, taking special care to avoid her. She decided to lean against her desk and continue to watch him.

"Well, I suppose you should get to class. I don't know about you, but I am in no mood to listen to Jafar complain about tardy students today," she said after another moment of silence.

Adam nodded and headed for the door.

"Oh, before I forget, someone nearly saw you leave the castle last night," Powers added.

He stopped and turned around to face her. "Who?" he asked.

Powers smiled that discerning smile again.

"A lovely Ravenclaw fifth year...oh, what's her name, the one who reads a lot...ah! Belle French."

Adam froze. He knew someone had followed him to the grounds, but he didn't realize it was her.

At least, not then.

* * *

Gaston glared at Adam's back as he left the Great Hall to go talk to Professor Powers.

That idiot Adam de la Bête was _always_ getting undeserved attention.

Gaston had the same exact things he did: handsome, strong, talented, a pure bloodline and incredibly wealthy.

Though he had both his parents and Adam did not, he didn't believe there were that many differences between them. Even when they were best friends their first year - just before his parents died that Christmas - they were still treated differently.

_So why was it that he couldn't get the same royal treatment as his nemesis?_

He thought about it as he stabbed angrily at his eggs.

"Gaston, I think your eggs are dead enough as is," Naveen pointed out.

He shot the fifth year a glare as he shuffled the eggs into his mouth. Naveen simply chuckled, returning to whatever conversation he was having with Flynn and Jasmine.

Gaston continued his angry musings, even as he walked to his class.

All this thinking was giving him a headache. His father and his house elf LeFou had always warned him that thinking was a dangerous past time.

In fact, he was thinking so hard and for so long that he nearly missed his pretty little Belle rush past him. He smiled and greeted her with a warm "hello". She quietly reciprocated it, walking even faster.

He watched her go, enjoying the lovely view she was leaving him. Gaston never understood why she wouldn't spend time with him. They were absolutely perfect for each other! He was remarkably handsome and rich, and she was incredibly beautiful.

What more could she want?

Gaston reached his Potions class, but ultimately ignored Jafar's lecture on the properties of some potion. Instead he recalled the first time he met Belle.

It was in Hogsmeade, he remembered, during his fifth year. He was beguiling the Bourgeois Triplets with some quidditch story. As he was getting to the climax, Gaston caught sight of her.

That fall day was unusually sunny, and her dark brown hair shone in the light. Her chocolate eyes were focused intensely on the book in her hands. She was walking towards the four of them, barely paying attention to her surroundings. Without preamble, Belle ran straight into him, knocking herself down to the ground and droped her book.

"Ow..." she moaned. Belle looked up to see Gaston and his groupies stand over her.

"Oh! Did I run into you? I'm so sorry, I wasn't really looking where I was going..." she apologized.

Belle looked around for her book, found it, and started to get up. Gaston, in an effort to charm her, reached out for her arm and yanked her up. She gasped, wobbling precariously and nearly dropped her book again due to the sheer force of his pull.

"Um, thank you," she said.

"Gaston," he said with a smile.

She tilted her head, looking adorably confused. "Gaston?" she repeated.

"My name," he replied with a chuckle. He reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. "Gaston Hunt. And you are?"

Her eyes lit up in recognition upon hearing his name. For some reason, she snapped her hand back from him and held her book up to her chest as if it was a shield.

"Belle French," she answered. "I-I have to go. Goodbye."

Belle bowed her head and quickly walked off.

And in that moment, he swore to make Belle his wife.

For two years, he made every effort to get her affections; gifts, invitations to visit during the summer and the school breaks, giving her his complete and undivided attention (even though he was _far _more interesting) and endless efforts to get her to go out with him during Hogsmeade visits. They usually worked on other girls - so why didn't they work with Belle?

Then again, he supposed, maybe mudbloods have different methods when it comes to dating? They were a strange, stupid bunch after all. He was going to have to actually do some research, which was very unlike him.

"Mr. Hunt. Mr. Hunt. _Mr. Hunt!_" an annoying voice interrupted his mind conversation.

Gaston looked up, giving his best, most charming smile to Professor Jafar. The Potions Master narrowed his eyes into thin slits and scowled.

"If you're done ignoring me, perhaps you can remove yourself from my classroom and go to your next class," Jafar hissed.

Gaston glared, and left the Potions classroom in a dramatic, aggressive fashion.

He mumbled angrily to himself, calling his head of house all sorts of rude names. As he walked, Gaston bumped into Adam.

The two stopped, stepped closer to each other until they were nose to nose, and stared down each other. The other students, feeling the growing tension, gave the two Slytherins a wide berth as they skirted away to their respective classes.

"Oh, will you two imbeciles _knock it off?!_" Malinda said, slapping the backs of their heads. "You're acting like five year olds! Grow up already and get to class!"

She stormed off, her annoying crow cawing at them, nipping Gaston's ear before he flew after his mistress.

Adam walked away without a second glance. Gaston, however, followed him with an angry, snarling gaze.

_One of these days,_ he thought. _I'm going to teach that beast a lesson._


	5. Chapter 5

{October 30th}

Jasmine threw her quill down in frustration. She covered her face with her hands and groaned. A sympathetic hand patted her shoulder.

"I don't understand any of this!" Jasmine moaned.

"We have been working on this for less than a month; I didn't expect you to understand these spells right away," Belle tried to reassure her.

"But Professor Odie is testing us on these in less than a week! I need to know them _now_!" she exclaimed. Jasmine banged her head face-down on the table and groaned again.

"The only reason why it's so difficult is that Transfiguration is an exact art. You need to know every possible outcome before you can even perform the spell," her tutor explained quietly. "I always found learning the theories first, before you even attempt it, is the best way to go about it. Besides, we've been pretty focused on other subjects for a while."

Jasmine turned her head to look at Belle, her cheek resting on the tabletop. Belle smiled reassuringly.

Jasmine sighed, "I guess you're right..."

Belle's smile widened and she patted her shoulder again.

"How about we work on this tomorrow?" she suggested.

Jasmine sat up quickly and gave Belle a tight hug, thanking her and telling her she'll be more than ready tomorrow. Belle laughed, shooing the Slytherin girl away.

With a slight shake of her head, Belle set to work on putting away all of the books they had borrowed. She walked through the library, returning the books to their proper place.

As she was about to return the last few books, she saw Adam hunched over in a chair by a corner. He looked just as frustrated as Jasmine did moments earlier.

Belle bit her lip, feeling a sudden urge to help him.

Taking a quick look around, she stealthily sauntered towards him. She looked over his shoulder to see the books thrown haphazardly around the table. A piece of paper with a list of advanced Charms was visible. She recognized the names, and recalled where she had seen them before.

Quickly scanning through the stack of books in her arms, she found the one she was looking for and slipped it out.

Belle was about to give him the tome when she hesitated. Adam de la Bête was well known for his pride and temper; he could easily become upset if a lowly little fifth year offered him any sort of help.

Before she could even stop herself, she gently tapped him on the shoulder.

He jumped slightly at her touch. Adam turned, ready to yell at whoever disturbed him. But when he saw it was Belle, he suddenly couldn't form any words.

Her large brown eyes bore into his. She smiled softly as she held out a book to him.

Adam tilted his head in confusion.

"This happens to be an excellent book on advanced Charms. It explains them quite well," Belle explained.

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why are you giving this to me?" he asked.

"It looked to me like you needed a little help. That's all I'm offering. You can take it or leave it." she answered.

Adam's eyes widened. Belle stretched out her arm a little more, motioning to the book in her hand.

He hesitated for a moment, then carefully took it from her. She smiled, nodding a goodbye and walked away.

He watched her go in disbelief. Belle took the initiative to help a vaguely known stranger, not expecting any thanks in return. He shook his head. _Belle French truly is a funny girl._

Adam glanced down at the book in his hand. Deciding that it was worth a try (he wasn't getting anywhere on his own), he opened the book and read through it. He was pleasantly surprised to find that it was exactly what he needed. A wry smile appeared on his lips as he took notes from the text.

Noticing how late it was getting, he gathered his papers and the books he borrowed.

"What were you doing with the little Ravenclaw girl?"

Adam started at the voice, nearly dropping the books in his hand. He turned to see Malinda Ficient leaning against a bookcase, casually stroking Diaval.

"Sorry, what was that?" he asked.

Mal rolled her eyes. "You heard me, dear. Now answer the question,"

Adam shook his head. He doesn't really owe Mal anything. She's simply someone from his childhood that enjoys meddling into his life.

"Adam, you and I have known each other long enough for you to realize that I don't give up so easily," she reminded him. "So just answer me and I'll leave you alone."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was an easy enough question - so why was he reluctant to answer?

"I was...struggling with a few spells, and she gave me a book that simplified them. That's all." he finally said.

Mal's green eyes lit up, and a mischevious smile graced her lips. Then she started laughing. Adam was taken aback by it, even taking a step away from her.

Mal kept laughing as she walked away from him.

_Well, tomorrow _is _Halloween; she's always been a bit more...eccentric this time of year. _he consented.

Finally leaving the library, he headed for the Slytherin common room.

Before he could walk through the entrance, a solid body slammed into him, forcing him against a wall.

Adam grunted and clutched his stomach, bending over slightly. When he looked up, he saw a very angry Gaston.

"Gaston. What do I owe this pleasure?" Adam asked sarcastically.

"Stay away from Belle, she's _mine_," Gaston answered.

Adam lifted an eyebrow. He pushed himself off the wall and circled around Gaston. The other boy simply glared and clenched his jaw. He looked like a hungry, cornered animal. Adam resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the situation.

"I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but I can honestly tell you I have no interest in that mudblood." he informed him.

Before Gaston could say another word, Adam brushed past him and left him standing in the hallway.

_Always the drama king..._ he thought to himself. He wasn't entirely sure where all that nonsense came from. Adam definitely didn't see himself pursuing Belle French. True, part of the reason was that she was muggle born, but the other part...he wasn't entirely sure.

Not wanting to think upon it further, or face any of his housemates, he went straight to bed.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Jasmine willed her broom up into the air. When she reached a comfortable elevation, she hung in the air. Jasmine took a moment to enjoy the crisp autumn evening. It felt nice to get out of that stuffy old library. Belle was great, no question about it, but the studying was starting to become too much. Flying was her only release. And she really needed the practice; she didn't have any opportunities over the summer.

Jasmine flew around the quidditch field, going at different speeds and heights, and eventually started to cruise around at a steady pace.

She was getting ready to land when a blurred shape rushed past her. Jasmine looked around, trying to find the culprit when he flew past her again.

Anger swelled up inside her. Without realizing it, she started to chase the flyer. When she got close enough, she kicked his broom as hard as she could. Because of the force of the kick, the broom spun out of control and dropped at a disconcerting speed.

Suddenly feeling guilty, Jasmine descended to check on the fallen flyer.

As she got closer, she saw it was Gryffindor's seeker Aladdin Ali. He was laying on the ground, moaning and clutching his arm.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Ali! Are you okay?" she asked as soon as her feet touched the ground.

Aladdin nodded and started to get up. He hissed in pain and clutched his arm again.

"That...that was quite a kick," he said, walking over to her. "I should apologize. I didn't mean to scare you. I totally deserved getting knocked off my broom."

Jasmine's eyes widened. Gryffindors were known for being just as proud as Slytherins (even if they were a bit more arrogant about it), so the mere fact that _he_ apologized...well, it certainly took her by surprise.

"I almost forgot how amazing of a flyer you are. No wonder our teams get really heated, " Aladdin continued.

She felt her cheeks grow warm. She looked away, focusing on a random patch of grass. They were quiet for a long time.

"I think I'm okay to fly again," Aladdin announced suddenly.

Jasmine continued to look away.

"Hey, why don't we practice together? I don't have any of the balls with me, but we can do some speed drills," he suggested.

Her head shot back up, her eyes widening again. What was this boy up to?

"Why?" she asked.

Aladdin tilted his head. "Why what?"

"Why do you want to practice...with _me_?"

"It's not like I want to steal any of your secrets or anything," he laughed. "I just want to practice with someone who knows what she's doing."

When Jasmine didn't say anything, he held out his hand. She eyed him and his hand suspiciously.

"Do you trust me?" Aladdin asked quietly.

"What?" she searched his face, looking for some sign that he's simply making fun of her.

"Do you trust me?" he repeated.

Before she could stop herself, Jasmine placed her hand in his. "Yes." she answered.

Aladdin smiled. They gave each other a firm shake.

For the rest of the evening, they raced, gave tips and simply flew around.

It was the most fun Jasmine Aziz had in a very, _very _long time.

* * *

{October 31st}

"Ah, Halloween! The time of year where my friends on the other side come to visit!" Facilier sing-songed.

He danced a strange jig, gliding around his colleagues in the Headmistress' office.

"Oh, do put a sock in it Facilier! That's all you've been saying since October first..._f__or the last fifteen years!_" Merryweather huffed.

Facilier simply shrugged and continued dancing. The faculty members rolled their eyes. They had all heard it before, and therefore saw no point in intervening.

The faculty were chatting quietly amongst themselves when Lucinda Powers walked in. They all stood up to greet her. She nodded in kind. When she reached her desk, Powers asked everyone to sit down. Chairs appeared right behind their future recipients. When they were all seated, she started to speak.

"Thank you all for coming," Powers began. "Something extremely worrying came to my attention this morning. Something that will effect the entire school - maybe even the world."

Everyone in the office murmured, exchanging worried looks. Jafar, Iago and Facilier, however, were unusually quiet. Powers lifted her hand, indicating for everyone to quiet down. She gestured to the raven-haired woman on her right.

"Esmeralda, if you could please relay what you told me," she requested.

The woman, Esmeralda, nodded and stepped forward.

"Well, I admit, the vision was rather vague, but clear enough for me to realize that someone we thought was gone forever...will return tonight," she said.

"Who? Who will return?" Flora asked.

Esmeralda's green eyes saddened. "_Her_." she stated gravely.

The room fell into a deathly silence. No one breathed, no one moved - - not even the pictures.

Just silence.

Powers regarded her employees carefully. She gauged each and every one of them, noting their expressions and body language.

After the long, suffocating moment of silence, Powers stood up. Everyone snapped their attention back to her.

"Unfortunately, Esmeralda is unsure where _she_ will return; just that it's tonight," Powers said. "Prepare yourselves for anything and everything,"

"What about the students? What should we tell them, Headmistress?" Lumiere wondered.

"For now, nothing. There is no the point in worrying them unnecessarily." she replied.

With a wave of her hand, Powers dismissed her colleagues, telling them she'll join them in the Great Hall shortly.

They slowly trickled out of the office until only she and Esmeralda were left. The Divination professor turned angrily at the Headmistress.

"The students have to know, Lucinda!" Esmeralda stated. "They are all competent; they can't be coddled forever."

Powers sighed, "I know. But until we get all the facts, I don't see why we should scare them," she stood up and headed for the door. "When people are filled with fear, they're not very good at making decisions."

Esmeralda lifted a corner of her mouth in a semblance of a smile, although Powers couldn't see it. She followed the Headmistress to the Great Hall.

When the two women entered the room, everyone was there. The excited ramblings of the students filled the air. Lumiere had lit and levitated the jack-o-lanterns, Fauna had brought in some bats and the ceiling held the image of a full yellow moon. Powers couldn't help but smile. This is what people should _always_ feel: happy. But then again, she consented, it's difficult to obtain happiness. And that's the one thing she wanted _all_ of her students to have. They deserve to feel joyful for this brief moment of time.

Hercules clinked his glass goblet, calling for all the students' attention. A sudden hush fell over the room, all eyes on the teachers table. Powers stood up. She smiled serenely at her students before beginning her speech.

"Good evening students. I hope your All Hallow's _Day_ has gone pleasantly. Now we shall celebrate -"

The lights suddenly went out. The bats screeched and the moon turned blood red. The students gasped and murmured as the teachers sat frozen in their seats.

The doors flew open and a strong gust of wind blew through the room. As it died down, a shadowy figure stood in the hallway. As soon as it stepped foot in the Great Hall, a set of torches lit up. The figure started to walk - glide, to be precise - between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, and with each step, the torches would burn and get brighter. When the shadow reached the middle of the room, it stopped.

The fire from the torches illuminated the figure, revealing a large, blue skinned woman with short white hair and a long black dress that looked like tentacles. She opened up her arms in a dramatic manner, as if she was welcoming them.

"Oh, it is so_ wonderful_ to return to Hogwarts! It hasn't changed a bit," she drawled. She looked around the room. "Why, my _dear_, _sweet _children - don't look so glum! Halloween is meant to be a celebration! A time to welcome back those who were..._once _gone!"

She turned in a short circle, her skirts flaring out and an evil grin gracing her face as she gathered the attention of the Hall.

"Ah, I see that some of you don't know who I am," she observed. "Especially you mudbloods," she added under her breath.

She waited a moment before speaking again, "I am Ursula, the 'Sea Witch' as I used to be called. I have a particular..._affinity_ for all things dark and aquatic. Fear not, though: I'm simply here to _warn _you,"

Ursula turned her attention to Powers, who showed no emotion. Her grin became more menacing.

"Some of you in this room are the offspring of those who sought to destroy me. Your teachers, most especially your Headmistress Lucinda Powers, even _fought_ against me.

"Know this, _all of you__!_ I will_ destroy_ those of you who go against me, and _everything you hold dear! _Your voices will cease to exist; your souls will belong to me!"

Ursula began laughing. She turned on her heel and walked out of the Great Hall, leaving it in darkness once again.

As soon as the doors closed, the lights returned.

The entire room was silent. The students looked up at the head table as the teachers exchanged worried, fearful expressions.

Powers slowly sat down. _Well, this happened far sooner than I expected._

* * *

_**A/N: **_Things are a-brewing at Hogwarts!

The scene with this story's "You-Know-Who", Ursula, is inspired by the pilot episode of _Once Upon a Time _and one of its main character Regina a.k.a the Evil Queen. The actress, Lana Parilla, based a lot of her character on Ursula, as she is her favorite Disney character. So in my crazy mind, it totally makes sense.

I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for more!

Don't forget: you can **_ALWAYS_** prompt me for this verse!


	6. Chapter 6

Last night's events made Tiana Smith worry beyond belief. She had heard the many different stories of the Sea Witch from some of the older students and the ones who were born in the wizarding world. Tiana couldn't help but think of the muggle wars in the Middle East, and therefore her father, who had fought and died in one of those wars. When she thought of him, she always felt the strong urge to cook.

Tiana thanked her lucky stars that the Hufflepuff common room was located right next to the kitchens. The freed house-elves that worked there always greeted her kindly and allowed her to have use of the room.

She went straight to work, grabbing a giant soup pot and ingredients. Soon she cut up, added to the pot and stirred them in to create her family's gumbo recipe. Her parents had lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, but had moved to England to find better prospects.

The rhythmed sounds of chopping and mixing soothed her, allowing her to temporarily forget about the Sea Witch and focus on creating a delicious dish to share with her friends and maybe the house-elves.

Tiana was so focused and intent on making gumbo she barely registered a loud **CRASH **coming from behind her.

It wasn't until she felt something hit her leg that she realized anything was occuring. Tiana turned around and gasped.

Food, pots, pans and various utensils were laying on the floor. The house-elves were frozen with shock, staring at the human standing in the middle of the chaos. Tiana recognized him as Naveen Maldonia.

"What in the _world _happened here?!" she exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips.

Naveen looked up at her, instantly flashing her his default "charming" smile and shrugged. "I was just looking to make myself to eat, but I couldn't find anything appetizing, so I used _accio_, and...well..." Naveen gestured to the room.

Tiana gave him a no-nonsense, disbelieving look.

He laughed nervously, feeling completely shocked that this girl is completely immune to his smile. Most girls swoon (_swoon!_) at the mere _glimpse_ of it. Instead, she stalked towards him until she was toe-to-toe with him. Her expression changed to a glare as she looked him straight in the eye and she pointed behind her at the mess he created.

"You are going to apologize to the elves, then you are going to clean this mess up," she commanded.

Naveen opened his mouth but the bossy Hufflepuff girl told him to "not even think about it" and "get to work". She turned on her heel with finality and walked back to the counter she was working at.

He stared back at her in complete shock when he felt a tiny tug on his pant leg. Naveen looked down to see an elf trying to get his attention.

"You don't have to apologize, sir," it squeaked. "But we house-elves would greatly appreciate the help cleaning up. And we don't want you to get into too much trouble with Miss Tiana."

He tilted his head and gave the elf a confused look. "Who is Miss Tiana?"

The house-elf looked at him incredulously before pointing at the angry, bossy girl. Naveen gave a quiet "ah" and, not wanting to feel her wrath again, started to clean up with the elves.

As he worked, he stole occasional glances in Tiana's direction.

When she wasn't so angry and commanding, she was actually quite lovely.

He was sure he had seen her before...

_Oh! She's in my year! _he remembered.

How was it that he had never really noticed her before?

Tiana moved quickly, yet gracefully as she worked. Her eyes were peaceful and focused, and she had a small smile on her face.

Naveen couldn't help but admit to himself that he actually _enjoyed_ watching her. Then he realized how creepy that was and went back to cleaning. Only, he was done cleaning, and therefore had no reason to stay.

He was about to quietly sneak out when a delicious, heavenly scent reached his nose. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Without realizing it, Naveen followed the smell until he nearly knocked Tiana over. She gave a protest and swatted his arm.

He ignored her response, then asked, "What is that heavenly smell?"

"Gumbo," she answered.

"Gumbo..." Naveen repeated. The name sounded familiar. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "Oh! It's that, uh, soupy and chunky American dish, yes?"

Tiana stopped stirring. She gently set the spoon down on the counter, turned to face him and crossed her arms.

"Yes, that's basically it. How do you know? Most people who live in Europe don't know that," she gave him a dubious look.

"I spent most of the summer in Louisiana," he explained, giving her a soft smile.

"Where in Louisiana?"

"New Orleans,"

"My parents are from New Orleans,"

"Well, that explains it," Naveen stated.

"Explains what?" Tiana wondered.

He reached for her face, and gently placed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Why you're so beautiful,"

Against her will, Tiana blushed. She tried to save face and went back to stirring the gumbo. It was quiet, except for the pitter-patter of the elves working and the bubbling gumbo.

"Would you like a taste?" she asked.

"I'd love a taste!" he exclaimed.

Tiana smiled. She was about to lift the spoon before remembering the extra Tabasco. She quickly added it, stirred it in and lifted the spoon again. Naveen took the spoon and tasted the gumbo. His forehead was scrunched in concentration. His expression changed to one of pure happiness. He stepped away and did a funny little dance.

"That is _amazing_! I've _never _tasted anything so incredible in my entire life!"

Tiana laughed. "Would you like a bowl?"

"Oh, yes!" he sauntered back to her. Naveen grabbed her hand and kissed it. "And, I would like to know your name."

"Tiana Smith," she smiled. "And what's your name?"

"Naveen Maldonia,"

"It's nice to meet you, Naveen Maldonia."

"The pleasure is mine, Tiana Smith."

* * *

Chip Potts was sitting in the courtyard, drawing doodles of hearts when three red-headed monsters crashed into him, knocking his books out of his arms and strewing papers everywhere.

Hamish, Hubert and Harris Dunbroch dog piled on top of their Ravenclaw friend.

"Ow..." Chip moaned.

"Oh, come off it, Chip! We didn't hit you _that _hard!" one of the triplets exclaimed. Hubert, he thought.

"Could've fooled me," he mumbled.

"What was that?" another one said. Sounded like Harris.

"I said why don't_ you_ 'come off' _me_?" Chip said loudly.

"Alright, alright! No need to be rude about it," Hamish appeared to have said.

Chip rolled his eyes. Honestly, he wondered why they were even friends. The Dunbroch brothers weren't even in the same house as him, and they only had a few classes together.

"How about you just _get off?!_" Chip retorted.

"Hey, Hamish said 'alright', didn't he? Just give us a minute, Harris has to get off first," Hubert said.

Soon, the boys climbed off of each other and Chip stood up. He turned to glare at Hamish, Hubert and Harris.

"Why did you guys knock me over anyways?! You could've just called out to me, or tapped my shoulder, or something that _doesn't involve piling on top of me!_" he demanded.

"Well, we _did_ call you, but you were too busy doodling in your notebook to hear us," Hamish explained.

"And we _would've _tapped your shoulder, except that we knew it wouldn't work," Harris added.

"So we did the next best thing," Hubert smirked.

Chip groaned, slapping his hand to his face. Of course, he just _had _to attract the three most _annoying people to ever annoy people_.

"Ugh, fine, whatever!" he said. "Just help me clean up this mess you made, will you?"

The brothers rolled their eyes but agreed to help him. As they picked up the scattered papers, Harris found one covered with the name of a particular Ravenclaw fifth year. He smiled widely and started waving the piece of paper around.

"Chip has got a girlfriend, Chip has got a girlfriend!" he sang.

The blonde haired Ravenclaw shot up, his face turning bright red and his fists clenched tightly. Chip ran to grab the paper, but Harris smugly put it out of reach. Chip was becoming more angry by the second.

Harris laughed, crumpled up the paper and tossed it to Hubert. Hubert uncrumpled it and he and Hamish huddled together to read it.

A moment later, Hamish gave a hoot of laughter and Hubert smirked mischievously.

Chip knew That Look. That Look meant trouble - excruciatingly _embarrassing_ trouble. His eyes widened.

"_Don't even __**think**__ about it__..._"

The three brothers shared That Look.

Without warning, Hubert took off like a shot. Chip chased right after him.

The two ran down a corridor at full speed. Hubert turned a corner, causing Chip to lose him. Chip turned the corner, only to find that he came to a crossroads.

He stood in the middle, looking down each hall in hopes of finding some trace of his so-called "friend".

A giggle sounded through to his right. Then another to his left; another straight in front of him.

_No, not _**_this_**_ again! _he thought despairingly.

Those three idiots _loved_ to use their identical genes against him and confuse him. Chip never understood why _he_ was always their primary victim, but he could happily say he's starting to tell the difference between them.

He remained still and silent, trying to distinguish the evil laughs. He guessed that Hubert was in the left-hand corridor, so he rushed off in that direction. Just as Chip thought he caught Hubert, it turned out to be Hamish, who stuck his tongue out and ran off.

Chip groaned again and continued the fruitless effort of stopping the Evil Triplets. At every crossroad, they managed to beat him there and trick him.

At the fifth crossroad, Chip finally had enough.

"THAT IS IT! I HAVE _HAD IT!_" he yelled. "If you guys don't give me back that piece of paper, I'm telling Kida, Anna and Rapunzel that you like them!"

He heard a gasp, and the sound of feet running in his direction. Hubert, Harris and Hamish stood in front of him and glared.

"You wouldn't _dare_, Chip Potts," they said together.

Chip crossed his arms and shot back their signature smug look. "_Watch me._"

With the final say in his proverbial pocket, Chip ran off in the direction of the Black Lake, where he knew the girls would all be on this sunny day.

He ran as fast as he could to the lake's shore. He could see Kida, Anna and Rapunzel sitting under a tree with their boyfriends, along with Belle, Elsa, Jane and Tarzan.

Smiling, he went straight towards them, stopping just before he could trip over Rapunzel's ridiculously long hair. He started to lose his balance, but luckily Flynn caught him in time and steadied him.

"Oh, hiya, Chip!" Rapunzel greeted. "What's going on?"

Chip panted, hands resting on his knees. When he started to breathe normally again, he straightened his back and lifted his chin.

"I have something to tell you, Kida and Anna," he said.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Anna asked.

"You know Merida's little brothers, right?" he started to say. "Well -"

Once again, Chip was knocked down by the three wee devils. They tried to clamp their hands over his mouth, but he managed to evade them long enough to say, "_Hamish, Hubert and Harris have a crush on you three!_"

The Dunbrochs froze, sheer terror and absolute anger shone in their eyes. Everyone was quiet, staring at the four boys.

Flynn and Kristoff started to laugh. Then Kida, Anna and Rapunzel. Soon, the group of older students were all laughing, much to the young first years' dismay.

"Oh, that is just so _cute!_" Anna gushed.

"It really is!" Rapunzel agreed.

All the girls made sounds of agreements, while Flynn and Kristoff still laughed.

Seeing an opportunity, Hamish smiled.

"Do you know what is even cuter than me and me brothers?" he asked.

Realizing what their brother had planned, Hubert and Harris snickered. Chip's eyes widened in horror.

"And what would that be?" Belle wondered.

Before Chip could even attempt to stop him, Hubert and Harris slapped their hands over his mouth and lay on top of him.

"Funny you should ask, Belle, because _Chip _has a crush on _you_."

The group was silent again as all eyes fell on Belle, and later Chip. The boy's face turned bright red and unshed tears shone in his eyes.

Belle opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a high-pitched battle cry and the sound of a fist hitting a face.

Chaos ensued as the four boys started wrestling each other.

"Um, shouldn't we try to stop them...?" Rapunzel asked.

"No, just leave them be for now. They'll be over it soon," Tarzan answered quietly.

The older boys and Kida nodded in agreement. Anna, Rapunzel and Jane shared a dubious look, but consented and let the first years have at it.

Twenty minutes and many cuts and bruises later, Hamish, Hubert, Harris and Chip were all in the infirmary being tended by the school's nurse and Chip's mother Madam Potts.

Madam Potts quietly scolded them as she cleared up their physical wounds. Their pride, however, could not be healed by her wand.

"I've never believed in the 'boys will be boys' ideology, so I will be informing your House heads and you will be punished accordingly," she concluded. "Now then, you're all better now. I suggest that you all return to your common rooms. Off you go now,"

The boys nodded, filing out of the infirmary with hung heads. Chip was about to leave when his mother's gentle hand rested on his shoulder.

"Christopher, are you going to tell me why you were fighting with the Dunbroch boys?" she asked.

Chip shook his head. If he was being completely honest with himself, he never, _ever_ wants to think about today ever again.

Madam Potts sighed. "Alright then. Go back to your common room, dear,"

Chip nodded, waving goodbye and ran back to Ravenclaw Tower.


End file.
